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🌟 **Call for Session Proposals: 2025 APMM Conference** 🌟 We are thrilled to announce the **2025 APMM Conference** taking place from **May 19-21, 2025** at the **Lancaster Marriott & County Convention Center**! This year’s theme, **“Find Your Spark,”** invites municipal professionals to share their insights and expertise. 🔍 **We’re looking for engaging and innovative session proposals** that inspire collaboration, conversation, and professional development. Sessions will be 60 minutes long and held as breakout sessions on **May 20th & 21st**. ### Proposal Submission: Submit your proposals by **November 22, 2024**. We will evaluate based on relevance to our theme, practical application, innovation, and audience engagement. Session Topics: 💡 Sparking Collaboration (Public-facing inter-municipal collaboration with other managers/municipalities, developing healthy, functional Councils of Governments) 💡 Controlled Burn (Tools/strategies for quality resident engagement even when there is nothing controversial, anticipating hot topic conversations and how to diffuse tensions) 💡 Rekindling Staff Motivations (Strategies to engage and motivate staff, especially when they feel underappreciated by governing bodies) 💡 Feeding Your Fire (Tools and strategies for fostering a positive work environment and improving interactions with governing bodies, techniques for sustaining professional longevity and avoiding burnout) 💡 Protecting the Spark (Why are managers leaving Pennsylvania or the profession, how should we be advocating for the profession in PA) 💡 Fanning the Flames (SheLeadsGov initiative in PA - How to encourage women in the profession, should we establish the program here in PA and what would we want the initiative to look like) Let’s come together to create an inspiring and impactful event! We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table. Proposals will be evaluated based on the following: ☑️ Relevance to the conference theme and focus areas ☑️ Practical application for municipal managers ☑️ Innovation and originality  ☑️ Proposed audience engagement 👉 **Submit your proposal here:** [Session Proposal Form](https://lnkd.in/ezTx9MrF) #APMM2025 #FindYourSpark #MunicipalManagement #ConferenceCall #LeadershipDevelopment

Hounslow’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee met last night. Amongst other topics, Members looked at #scrutiny. We were joined by Ed Hammond from the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny (CfGS) who had spent time in the first half of the year casting his eye over how scrutiny happens in Hounslow. Long story short: scrutiny in Hounslow is effective and serves residents well. Longer story: Hounslow’s approach, where scrutiny panels undertake focused deep dives over the course of a municipal year, reporting back to OSC and the executive - is both novel and valuable. Longer story still: the team - Alfie Barrishi; Vid Calovski (PhD); Mikhael Grossmann; Taru Jaroszynski; Tarmini Mootoosamy; Yusuf Patel; and Lucy Sullivan-Allsop - effectively balance policy development through scrutiny with other work. Longest possible story: available here in last night’s agenda pack as agenda item 2: https://lnkd.in/e4T895At - both th CfGS’ report and Hounslow’s action plan in response. Learning? Firstly, if you’re doing scrutiny, it is always helpful to get an independent perspective on what you do (and Ed and the CfGS were a pleasure to work with as they produced their scrutiny impact review). Secondly, even if things are solid and approaches robust, there is always scope to do more or do different and insight can come from peers across the sector (h/t Alexander Polak for his thoughts on scrutiny in a day and h/t members of the London Scrutiny Network). Thirdly, scrutiny is much more than the formal meetings and, as both the chair of OSC and Leader said last night, culture and mindset matter a great deal.

Not sure what to expect at the 2024 Annual Conference? Here's what previous attendees had to say: "I thought the conference was absolutely fantastic, in that it provided great content and inspired me to continue my work with some new insights!" "The conference: 1. Insightful 2. Thought Provoking 3. Personal & Professional Awareness A Vision to Build on New Modalities 5. New Possibilities for Connections" "Loved the interactions between participants and speakers, board members and staff." Register today to experience the content and camaraderie first hand! www.abcsw.org #abcswannualmeeting #restoringrelationships #clinicalsocialworkers

While some #business professionals may think search firms and online posting platforms are shortcuts for getting a seat on a board of directors, facts reveal something different. Instead, use the #1 method as your primary way--this is #networking. #governance #boardsofdirectors #leadership #boardjourney

Positive Business Conference Amplified, May 9 - join us in person ($770) or virtually ($50 for alumni)! Learn how to harness the potential to create supportive structures and practices that foster well-being at the Positive Business Conference Amplified, May 9. This year's theme is "Amplifying Human Enterprise: How might we find uplift amid upheaval?" Create compassion, connection, purpose and meaning as part of your organization's ecosystem of long-term value. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/eCxrimb

Thanks to everyone who attended the Our Places of Impact Community of Practice event yesterday, Facilitating Consensus in Communities! This was the first time using our new Peer-Led event format.     In case you missed it, under our new event format participants are encouraged to share their insights and ask questions. Yesterday’s event included a networking component and audience engagement activity following a panel discussion led three members of the Our Places of Impact Planning Committee: Silas Matchem, Sara Smallwood-Cocke, and Julius Austin, representing peer organizations from the States of Illinois, Oklahoma, and California.   The engaging conversation reiterated the importance of reaching all community members by creating the right conditions for everyone to have a seat at the table. Participants also grappled with strategies for being a successful communicator and having difficult conversations in their communities.     Whether you were able to attend yesterday or not, we would like to hear your insights, experiences, and questions on this topic. - What does it mean to you to facilitate consensus?   - What is one of the best things you have learned from someone else about navigating difficult conversations?  - What do you want to learn more about on this topic? Feel free to share your responses below, post a thought to our MURAL board: https://shorturl.at/mbpFH, or to our Google Sheet: https://shorturl.at/rhhHt

Really looking forward to leading this discussion at NAPA Friday with Robin Champ on advancing our national capacities to navigate uncertainty. Link below to register! #usofficeofforesight #grandstrategy #bettergovernment #ffaa

How your board manages its motions sets the tone for the discussions that follow. Diverse expertise brings value to the communities we serve, but few understand that an efficient motion process is key to providing equal opportunity to everyone who needs to contribute. To help you ensure that all voices are heard, we broke down the 6 steps (according to Robert's Rules of Order) you can take to facilitate a fair motion process. Download the guide today to enhance the inclusivity and efficiency of your meetings. #BoardManagement #BoardMembers #EqualOpportunity

"We've been using this for 20 years" isn't a strategy for growth. It's easy to wish for better technology, but progress starts with action. Whether it’s rethinking your approach to tech or simply exploring a demo, it’s time for clubs to embrace the potential of modern solutions to streamline operations and elevate member experiences. Click below to read more from Scott Peper and I in the latest issue of BoardRoom magazine.

I came to Page a decade ago when much of the discussion was around earning the CCO's seat at "the table." Today, it seems, CCOs occupy at least one if not more, with a broadening sphere of influence and responsibilities. We live in a world that increasingly demands multistakeholder, long-term approaches, and CCOs are highly adept at that vital work. Our latest research report goes in-depth on changes to the CCO role since 2020 and the future of a profession that becomes more central to organizational strategy and decision-making by the day.